Following the team with a unique perspective on all things Phillies.Email me: PhilliesPhollowers@comcast.net – Peace, Love & Baseball – Jenn

Results tagged ‘ Giants ’

Everyone expected Roy Halladay to come out firing tonight with the Phillies season on the line.Instead, he walked the first batter he faced and allowed a run to score.The entire 6 innings he pitched were uncomfortable, at best.He did only allow 2 runs total; the second one, of course, off the bat of Cody Ross with an RBI-double.But he never looked settled, fell behind in counts and ended with 2 walks and only 5 strike outs.

While Halladay’s entire outing was a nail biter, he did battle through it and kept the Phils in the game.Tim Lincecum only had one bad inning through 7 and that was the 3rd.The Phillies scored 3 runs in a very odd sequence of events.Raul Ibanez, back in the line-up after being sat yesterday, singled to start the inning.That was his first hit this entire series.

Lincecum then hit Carlos Ruiz to put two men on base with no outs.Halladay bunted what looked like a foul ball but the umpire, much to everyone’s surprise, called it fair.The base runners moved up as Pablo Sandoval at third missed the bag while Ibanez slid in.Halladay just stood at home looking confused as he was thrown out at first on a foul ball.

But it worked out for the Phillies as an error by Aubrey Huff allowed both Ibanez and Ruiz to score.Placido Polanco singled to score another run.But then with runners on first and second, needing a simple sac fly to score again, Ryan Howard struck out…again.Howard has zero RBI’s this series.Jayson Werth flied out to end the inning, stranding 2 runners.

You had to wonder if these stranded runners would cost the Phillies both the game (again) and the season.They headed into the 7th clinging to the slim 3-2 lead.Jimmy Rollins singled and then stole 2 bases to land on 3rd with Ruiz on 1st and only one out.But again, the Phillies failed to score.Pinch hitter Ross Gload hit a line drive right to 1st.Huff caught the ball and stepped on 1st for the easy double play.

In the middle of the 7th, the Giants sent this strange thing out to sing God Bless America; I think that is a small village on her head?Weird.

So it would be up to the bullpen to keep the series going and send it back to Philly.Jose Contreras and JC Romero took care of the 7th.Ryan Madson was tossing 95mph bullets in the 8th, despite having pitched the last two games.He struck out the side, including our old friend Pat Burrell.Remember when a Burrell strike out was SO frustrating?Not so much anymore ;o)

Giving the Phillies a little extra breathing room in the 9th, Werth hit a monster homer over the huge right field wall.Brad Lidge had a 4-2 lead to work with and got the first out quickly with a shallow fly ball.Next out, an easy ground ball. (Biting my nails…) Pinch hitter, whose name no one can pronounce…Travis Ishikawa…IsHeWaWa?IshiMama?IdunnoA?Whatever.He struck out, so who cares.Phillies win, 4-2!!!LIDGE gets it DONE!

With the win tonight, the NLCS series heads back to Philadelphia with the Phils trailing 2 games to 3.They have an off-day tomorrow for travel and will play Game 6 on Saturday, either at 3:57pm or 7:57pm, depending on the Rangers – Yankees series results tomorrow.I assume Roy Oswalt is still slated to pitch; we should know for sure tomorrow.Whatever happens, I am excited to go to the game on Saturday; this team may still have life in them yet.

UPDATE: Halladay apparently pulled his groin early in the game last night during either the 1st or 2nd inning. Manuel said 2nd, but also said it was during the Buster Posey at-bat, which was in the 1st. At any rate, he pitched basically the whole game injured. Halladay will have an MRI today to determine how bad the pull is.

After last night’s disappointing loss to the Giants in Game 1 of the NLCS, it was a huge relief to see the offense return for the Phillies in Game 2 tonight.The Phillies have done very badly against pitcher Jonathan Sanchez in the past.But now they can put those performances exactly there…in the past.

While it was not a major explosion at first, the Phils took advantage of Sanchez’s wildness in the first inning where he loaded the bases and Jimmy Rollins took a walk for an RBI.They scratched out 2 more runs off Sanchez, although one was unearned.But with a little patience, they drew 3 walks, forced his pitch count up and chased Sanchez out of the game early in the 7th inning.

When the Giants bullpen took over in the 7th, so did the Phillies.Pitcher Roy Oswalt singled off Sanchez which is what brought on the pen.Another single from Placido Polanco plus a double steal from Polanco and Chase Utley kept things moving.Jayson Werth was intentionally walked and then Jimmy Rollins had another chance to get back in the swing of things.J-Roll whacked a bases clearing double!Finally, Rollins looks like the light has turned on in his head.

Oswalt was brilliant on the mound, as well as at the plate.In fact, through 8 innings, the only run he allowed was from the Phillies new nemesis, Cody “The Devil” Ross.Ross has no idea that this is his new nickname as I have not-so-anonymously assigned it to him.But I think it fits.In 2 games, Ross has seen 3 fastball sent middle-in to him; all 3 times, he sent the ball out of the yard.Two homers were off Roy Halladay yesterday and one off Oswalt today.So it is official…he is the devil.

But as we all know, the Devil does not always win.And tonight, it was Oswalt and the Phillies offense that came out on top.Rollins collected 4 RBI and his first 2 hits of the series.Polanco had 2 RBI, Ryan Howard had 2 hits and Utley walked twice.The only batters who looked totally lost at the plate today were Raul Ibanez and Werth who both struck out twice.

Ryan Madson pitched the 9th inning and kept the 6-1 score intact.So the series is tied at 1 game each and both teams will travel to San Francisco for the next 3 games.Monday is an off-day with the series resuming on Tuesday.Cole Hamels will pitch against Matt Cain; game time is 4:00pm.

I feel like I have a hangover, but I did not have anything to drink.The Phillies 4-3 loss to the Giants last night was the kind of life-sucking let down that leaves you wishing you had stayed in bed.Where was the big comeback?Where was the timely hitting?And more importantly, where was the pitcher’s duel we were promised?The raucous crowd used all their energy to try and will this team to a victory.But when Shane Victorino struck out to end the game, all the air went out of the balloon.

Neither Roy Halladay nor Tim Lincecum pitched very well and both were visibly annoyed by the home plate umpire, Derryl Cousins, who had a moving strike zone.Cousins only called hitters out on strikes twice all night and one of those was Lincecum.Although, if you count the time he tried to call Jimmy Rollins out when he only had 2 strikes on him, I suppose he went for 3.Ex-Phil Pat Burrell was out in the 6th inning on a strike right down the middle, but the idiot in blue didn’t call it, which led to 2 more runs.Of course, Raul Ibanez probably should have caught this ball that Burrell hit; and there was no need to scale the wall like he did either:

The Phillies offense had opportunities to score but did not capitalize.Ryan Howard led off the 2nd inning with a double and then never moved until the inning was over.In the 3rd, Carlos Ruiz tied the game with a homer.Halladay then singled and it looked like the Phillies had a real shot at rattling Lincecum.But then Victorino stepped to the plate and grounded into a double play to kill all the momentum.Still, Placido Polanco and Chase Utley kept the inning going only to have Howard strike out to end it.

It was that kind of up and down drama that never materialized into runs.Jayson Werth, the only Phillies batter with 2 hits in the game, nailed a 2-run homer in the 6th to give the Phillies a chance at a comeback.But despite the defensive efforts and pitching to keep it a 4-3 game, the Phils offense never stepped up and got it done.

For the Giants, Cody Ross was getting it done.I never liked Ross when he was a Marlin and last night’s game certainly has not changed that as Ross hit not one, but two home runs off Halladay.In fact, I now believe that Ross is pure evil; the spawn of Satan.I swear he is the brother of Chucky, the most despicable of all Satanic spawn.He must be stopped before he steals our souls.Exorcism, anyone?Ugh.

By the way, has anyone else noticed that despite Rollins’ claims he is healthy that he looks like he could not hit the broad side of a barn right now?I hope Charlie Manuel watches film of his at-bats and holds him out of the game if he is not right.It is the playoffs; they do not have time for Rollins to work his way back.Love ya Jimmy, but please do not hurt the team by trying to tough it out.

One fun note from the game was the whistling and catcalling directed at Lincecum and his long hair.Some fans shouted that he looked like a girl and then the whistling began, as if being directed at a pretty girl.Lincecum was asked if he noticed and he said, “I was thinking I must have a really nice butt.”Sorry Timmy, you actually have no butt at all.I have photographic evidence.

And here is the full Photo Album from the game, which includes pre-game ceremonies, a shot of VP Joe Biden in the crowd and some Phanatic fun to cheer you up.

So tonight the Phillies will lean on Roy Oswalt to get a win.They will also try to do something they have never done before; hit Jonathan Sanchez.Cross your fingers…game time is 8:00pm.

Manager Charlie Manuel has announced the Phillies starting rotation for the NLCS which is set to begin on Saturday.There are really no surprises here:

Game 1: Roy Halladay

Game 2: Roy Oswalt

Game 3: Cole Hamels

Game 4: Joe Blanton

Game 5: Roy Halladay

Game 6: Roy Oswalt

Game 7: Cole Hamels

Manuel could have switched Oswalt and Hamels, but there should not be much difference.Also, Hamels usually pitches well on the road.The Giants have named their first 3 starters: Tim Lincecum, Jonathan Sanchez and Matt Cain. Lefty Madison Bumgarner is penciled in as the 4th starter.

I was thinking about the Game 1 match-up of Halladay and Lincecum and realized, if you look beyond the stats, these are two very different individuals.Take a look at the comparison:

And if you enjoyed that, here is another fun tidbit.During the NLDS against the Reds, the Phillies players were so relaxed, that even the usually serious Roy Oswalt had a little fun in front of the camera’s during an in-game interview with pitching coach Rich Dubee:

Yes, that is Oswalt cheesing it up for the viewing public.Nicely done, Roy 2.0.

The San Francisco Giants defeated the Braves last night to advance to the NLCS against the Phillies.This match-up promises to be a hard-fought duel to the death between two great pitching staffs.The season series between the two teams ended in a draw with 3 wins each out of 6 games.These teams are very closely matched.

The real drama will unfold in Game 1 on Saturday when two Cy Young winners face off.Tim Lincecum of the Giants has won the award the past two years and Roy Halladay of the Phils is the favorite to win the award this year.Halladay already has won the award once before.

In 2010, Halladay finished the year with a 21-10 record and a miniscule 2.44 ERA.Lincecum went 16-10 with a 3.43 ERA, a disappointing year by Lincecum standards.But in Game 1 of the NLDS against the Braves, Lincecum pitched a complete game 2-hitter.He was outdone only by Halladay who pitched a no-hitter in his postseason debut against the Reds.A slight edge goes to Halladay with this match-up, but only by a hair.The deciding factor is likely to be the offense of both teams.

Here are some stats for the last 5 years of Phillies batters vs. Lincecum and Giants batters vs. Halladay:

VS. Lincecum

AVG

AB

HR

RBI

Dobbs, Greg

.200

5

0

0

Gload, Ross

.400

5

0

0

Howard, Ryan

.250

16

2

4

Ibanez, Raul

.143

7

0

0

Polanco, Placido

.500

2

0

0

Rollins, Jimmy

.167

18

0

0

Ruiz, Carlos

.250

8

0

0

Schneider, Brian

.000

5

0

0

Utley, Chase

.118

17

1

1

Victorino, Shane

.222

18

1

2

Werth, Jayson

.500

6

1

1

VS. Halladay

AVG

AB

HR

RBI

Burrell, Pat

.333

18

0

1

Fontenot, Mike

.333

3

0

0

Huff, Aubrey

.238

42

0

2

Renteria, Edgar

.286

7

0

0

Ross, Cody

.250

4

0

1

Sanchez, Freddy

.333

3

0

0

Uribe, Juan

.167

12

0

0

For the Phillies, Jayson Werth and Placido Polanco have the best shot at rattling Lincecum.And for the Giants, our old pal Pat Burrell has done well against Halladay in 18 at-bats.However, several big guns for the Giants like Pablo Sandoval and rookie Buster Posey have never faced him.So, there is no telling how they may fare.

Another possible factor in the game is the lengthy lay-off before the series begins.However, both teams will be dormant for almost the same amount of time; the Phillies ended their NLDS on Sunday and the Giants ended on Monday.The same concern was expressed back in 2008 and the Phils won the World Series that year.Also, I think the time-off will be good for the Phils who have a lot of banged up players like Polanco with his bum elbow and Jimmy Rollins, who is still nursing a hamstring injury.

My biggest personal concern is the Phillies having to play 3 games in San Francisco.They lost 2 of 3 there this year and 3 of 4 the year before, with their only win coming in Cliff Lee’s Phillies debut.I was there for the entire series and can tell you, this team does not like playing in AT&T Park.It is bitterly cold, windy, the ballpark is huge with odd dimensions and the bullpens are uncomfortably close to the field.Not to mention the visitor’s clubhouse is cramped and awkward…I know; I have been in there.In short, it is a hostile environment.

The Phillies will need to use the home field advantage to jump on the Giants quickly.Fans can help out by bringing their usual fervor and enthusiasm to the ballpark.Feel free to give Pat Burrell and Aaron Rowand their proper welcome back, but after that, all bets are off.

Burrell should not be allowed to get too comfy coming back home because he can really hurt the Phillies; he loves hitting in Citizens Bank Park.And yes, it pains me to think of heckling Burrell; he helped bring us the 2008 championship.But fans need to suck it up and treat him like the enemy!After the series, we can all give him a group hug to make up for it ;o)

The third game of the NLDS between the Phillies and the Reds was not terribly action packed.Both teams pitched well and hits were at a premium.But while the game was not super exciting, the outcome certainly was.With a victory, the Phillies swept the Reds right out of the playoffs.

As the chosen starter for game 3, Cole Hamels was anxious to show what he could do after an unbelievable no-hitter by Roy Halladay in Game 1.Hamels pounded the strike zone all night and sent Reds back to the dugout one by one.He allowed 5 hits while striking out 9 batters for a complete game shut-out.No quite a no-hitter, but Hamels was amazing.Plus, the final out was made by ex-Phillie Scott Rolen; icing on the cake.

As for the offense, the Phillies got off to an early lead thanks to another Reds error.As a team, the Reds have committed 7 errors in 3 games of this NLDS.Tonight it was an Orlando Cabrera throwing error after Jayson Werth put the ball in play that cost them a run.Cabrera had a sore rib cage and was not supposed to play.But after some magic massages today, Cabrera was in the line-up.

About the massages, Cabrera said, “The guy’s name is Andy. I don’t know his last name.”Do you think afterwards Cabrera left a few dollars on the bedside table and left?Poor Andy must feel cheapened by the encounter ;o)But we are all thankful that Cabrera felt well enough to play.Thanks, Andy…you deserve some credit as well.

The other run for the Phillies came off the bat of Chase Utley who sent the ball to right center; it snuck over the wall for a homer.Replay was used to verify the homer as the Reds claimed a fan interfered but ultimately, the run counted.

With Hamels holding down the Reds, the two runs were all they needed.With the 2-0 win, the Phillies will advance to the NLCS against either the Giants or the Braves, depending on the outcome of that series.The Giants currently lead the series, 2-1.

As you may know already, the Phillies will be playing the Reds in the NLDS.The Phillies won 5 out of 7 games against the Reds this year in the regular season; 3 of those in July all went to extra innings and ended in spectacular walk-off fashion for the Phillies.So while the Phils have a slight edge, it is sure to be a well played series.

With the 8 playoff teams finally decided, TBS and MLB announced some of the start times for both the AL and NL Division series.Here is the schedule so far:

Series

Teams

Day/Date

Time ET

ALDS Game 1

Rangers @ Rays

Wed. Oct. 6

1:30 p.m.

NLDS Game 1

Reds @ Phillies

Wed. Oct. 6

5 p.m.

ALDS Game 1

Yankees @ Twins

Wed. Oct. 6

8:30 p.m.

ALDS Game 2

Rangers @ Rays

Thurs. Oct. 7

2:30 p.m.

ALDS Game 2

Yankees @ Twins

Thurs. Oct. 7

6 p.m.

NLDS Game 1

Braves @ Giants

Thurs. Oct. 7

9:30 p.m.

NLDS Game 2

Reds @ Phillies

Fri. Oct. 8

6 p.m.

NLDS Game 2

Braves @ Giants

Fri. Oct. 8

9:30 p.m.

ALDS Game 3

Rays @ Rangers

Sat. Oct. 9

5 p.m.

ALDS Game 3

Twins @ Yankees

Sat. Oct. 9

8:30 p.m.

NLDS Game 3

Phillies @ Reds

Sun. Oct. 10

TBD

NLDS Game 3

Giants @ Braves

Sun. Oct. 10

TBD

*ALDS Game 4

Rays @ Rangers

Sun. Oct. 10

TBD

*ALDS Game 4

Twins @ Yankees

Sun. Oct. 10

TBD

*NLDS Game 4

Phillies @ Reds

Mon. Oct. 11

TBD

*NLDS Game 4

Giants @ Braves

Mon. Oct. 11

TBD

*ALDS Game 5

Rangers @ Rays

Tues. Oct. 12

TBD

*ALDS Game 5

Yankees @ Twins

Tues. Oct. 12

TBD

*NLDS Game 5

Reds @ Phillies

Wed. Oct. 13

TBD

*NLDS Game 5

Braves @ Giants

Wed. Oct. 13

TBD

As I expected, the Phillies, despite have the BEST record in baseball, still got screwed out of the Prime Time slot in favor of the Yankees…again.So for the 3rd year in a row, I will have to take a day off work to go to get to the stadium in time to find parking and see the pre-game festivities.

Now I realize there are 22 other teams out there whose fans would love to have this problem so it is hard to complain.But when is a team, other than the Yankees, going to get some much deserved respect?The Phillies have certainly earned it.

To the TV people it is all about ratings, and I suppose it is their prerogative.But guess which team brings in more fans based on stadium capacity?The Phillies – 103.5%. It is over 100% due to standing room only tickets that are sold to accommodate more fans.The Phillies sold out EVERY game this season.Where do the Yankees rank?They are 7th in baseball with 88.9%.If the Phillies had a bigger stadium like the Yankees do, they would no doubt have sold all those seats as well.Just sayin’…

Not to mention that the TBS coverage of the games, in general, is horrible.The announcers have NO clue about the teams they are watching and tend to be biased towards particular teams.The coverage has been historically so bad that there is even a section on Wikipedia dedicated to how bad they suck.The TBS slogan is “very funny” but we are not laughing.

The Phillies ended the 2010 regular season today with the best record in baseball for the first time in franchise history.Their 97-65 record is even more impressive when all of the injuries they suffered this year are added to the equation.Unfortunately, the injuries do not appear to be behind them yet.

In the 8-7 loss to the Braves today, catcher Carlos Ruiz was plunked on the elbow by a Tim Hudson pitch.He appeared to be in a great deal of pain and eventually, he left the game.There has been no word yet about how serious it may be.

Another potential huge loss heading into the playoffs may be JC Romero.After throwing a pitch in the 6th inning, Romero signed to the coaches that he was hurt.Reports are that he is suffering from left lower back soreness.If he cannot play, it looks like lefty Antonio Bastardo will be a lock for the postseason roster.Having only one lefty in the pen may not be a great idea, but the Phils may have no choice.

The only real highlights early in today’s game were 2-run homers by both John Mayberry Jr. and Jayson Werth.Also, Cole Hamels pitched very well for 2 innings in his postseason warm-up.Everyone else had issues getting desperate Braves hitters out.Even Roy Oswalt gave up a run in one inning of work.Joe Blanton allowed 2 runs and the big damage was done by Danys Baez.Baez allowed 4 runs in only 2/3 of an inning, likely cementing his new roll as a cheerleader instead of a spot on the postseason roster.

But as the Phillies are known to do late in games, the offense started cooking again in the 8th inning.With 2 outs, Jimmy Rollins singled and Mike Sweeney reached base on a Braves error.Wilson Valdez hit an RBI single and Ben Francisco doubled in 2 more runs.The game got a lot closer, with the Phillies trailing by a score of 8-7.But in the 9th, they were unable to score and the Braves went on to win.

While the Braves won, their playoff hopes are still in the hands of the Padres, who are playing the Giants right now.They will know more in a few hours.

In the meantime, congratulations to the Phillies, officially the BEST team in baseball right now!

Well, it was nice thought, but ultimately, the Phillies could not sweep the Giants tonight.When the game started off with Cole Hamels giving up 3 runs in the first inning, some thought that maybe this was just the starting pitchers new style.Both pitchers in the first two games of the series gave up first inning runs too, but the Phillies came back to win those games.Not tonight…

Hamels looked about as bad as we have seen him.He lasted only 5 innings, allowed 5 runs and looked like his pitch control was on vacation for the day.Knowing that he has gotten little to no run support this year, giving up 3 runs in the first must have seemed like an insurmountable hole from which Hamels could not climb out.

On the other side, Giants pitcher Jonathan Sanchez wiped the infield dirt with Phillies batters.He allowed only 2 hit in 8 innings of work and both hits came off the bat of Shane Victorino, who also played well on defense.

No one else could touch him.Knowing that Sanchez leads the leagues in walks issued, one might think the Phillies batters would have been patient at the plate.But many players swung early and swung often…at bad pitches.Thus, 2 hits in 8 innings.

The offense did attempt a 9th inning rally, something that has been common with the Phillies lately.But although Mike Sweeney knocked in 2 runs to avoid the shut-out, the rally ended there and the Phils took the 5-2 loss.Here are a few more shots from the game:

The Braves lost today as well so the Phillies still sit 2.5 games back in the NL East and lead the Wild Card race over the Giants by 1 game.A 3-game series with the Nationals starts tomorrow at 7:05pm.

And as a side note, today’s game marked the 100th consecutive sell-out at Citizens Bank Park.Manager Charlie Manuel came out before the game to speak to the crowd and thank the fans for their support.After that, the players waved and tipped their caps to the crowd.The 45,449 people in attendance also marked the largest crowd of the 2010 season so far.

The Phillies have taken the first two games of this three game series with the Giants.Last night, Jimmy Rollins led the pack, coming just a double short of hitting for the cycle.His 3 RBI came on a 3-run homer in the 4th inning off Giants pitcher Matt Cain.The Phillies tagged Cain for 5 runs and then kept right on rolling through the Giants bullpen.

Other players with multiple hit nights were Carlos Ruiz, Jayson Werth and Chase Utley, who got his first hits since coming off the DL on Tuesday.One was a dribbler down the 3rd base line, but the other was a solid line drive into right field for a double.The Phillies hit a bunch of triples as well; Rollins, Ruiz and Raul Ibanez each collected one.

Phillies starter Joe Blanton had a good night as well.Blanton allowed only 2 runs in 6 1/3 innings without walking a batter.Both runs were solo homers; one was in the first at-bat of the game and then ex-Phil Pat Burrell hit one later.Since Burrell has hit a homer in each game of the series, I would expect another tonight just for good measure.He does love this ballpark.

Here are my Photos of the Day:Before the game, the Phanatic assaulted the Giants players while they warmed up.He goosed Burrell and made fun of Pablo Sandoval’s figure:

The Giants were very gracious and had fun playing with the furry green mascot.

Here are a few more shots from the game:

Here is the full Photo Albumfrom the game.Cole Hamels will pitch tonight in the final game of the series at 7:05pm.I should have photos from that one tomorrow as well.Let’s hope for a SWEEP!

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